William j



@uitrit tatrs @anni @Hirn Letters Parent No'. 81,028, dated August l1, 1868.

IMPROVED RAILWAY-SWITCH;

fitr rlgaulr rifatte tu in these Etains ateut mit matinglgatt iii-ille sinne.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. Srowunr., of Baltimore, in the county of Baltimore, and State of Maryland, have invented a new and improved Railroad-Switch; and I do hereby decla-re that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in whichl Figure 1 is a plan view of a main track and turmout, showing the improved switch applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through fig. l, taken in the vertical plane indicated by the red line x x.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of one of the rails of the main track and two of the switchsections.A

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

'.lhis invention relates to a novel improvement whereby the well-known solid castings or frogs, which have hitherto been used at sidings or turnouts of railroads, can be dispensed with, and a much more simple, a

cheaper, and better contrivanee employed in their` stead.

The frogs which I refer to are triangular-groved plates, used at points where onc trackpbranches oif from another for the purpose of guiding the wheels of Va locomotive upon one track or the other. These frogs are very expensive, and after short. use they cause very unpleasant concussions to passengers travelling over the rails at such crossings.A

The nature of my invention consists in applying laterally-movable guard and guide-rails to the main track and siding, at the intersection thereof, and in so constructing, arranging, and connecting together these guards and guide-rails, and combining with them aswitch-rail, that an automatic switch is obtained, which, while it willnot interfere with the passing and repassing of trains over the main-track rails, will allow a train to turn out from or return upon the main-track rails at pleasure, without requiring the attention of a. switchman, as will be hereinafter described.

In-the accompanying dr'awingsl A A represent the rails of the main track, which are spiked down upon the cross-ties B B B2 in the usual well-known manner. These rails are continuous, that is to say, they are not cut or deiiected from a straight line, as hitherto required at crossings or turnouts, consequently a train of coaches will pass as smoothly over them at the point of crossing as at any other point, and there will be no jar or concussion experienced.

C C represent the rails of the turnout or siding, which are designed to allow trains to leave the main-track rail and to return thereupon again. The rail C, which intersects with one of the rails of the main track, as shown in the drawings, lshall terni the inside turnout-rail, and the opposite rail, C, of this turnout, I shall denominate the outside turnoutrnil. I

The fixed section, C, of the inside ruil, crosses the main track obliquely between its rails, and terminates upon a ixed chair, g,.which isv spiked down upon the cross-tiel?, and constructed so as to receive, and have pivoted to it at z, one end of a laterally-movablerail-section, Gl, which is so curved at both ends as to serve a twofold purpose, namely, its pivoted end will guide the car-wheels in a direction towards the switch-section G2, when in the position indicated in black lines in iig; l, and its. opposite end is turned inward, sc that the.ange

Aofonel of the guide-wheels of a locomotive upon the'inaiii track, approaching the turnout, would cause it to move from said position to the position indicated in red lines. This bent section, C1, as well as the section C, connecting with it, is elevated upon an inclined plane, as shown in figs. 2 and 3, so that the fianges of the car-wheels moving over them will be elevated sufficiently to pass over the main-track rail without striking it.

'Ihe switch-section C2 is a short laterally-vibrating rail, which is jointed to the chairf, and Ina-de tapering at one end, so as to form an unbroken line withl a portion of th/e section Cl and the inside rails C C, when adjusted in the position shown in iig. 1 in black lines. The pointed end of this section,C2, is also notchedA horizontally, so that it will fit over one of the lips of the rail of tlie'main track, as shown in iig. 2. This section, S2, audits stationary rail, C, are also elevated so as to form a plane inelining from the highest point of the curved section C, as shown in figs-2 and The outside rail C is provided inside with a a guard-rail, D, whose extremities are bent inward for the purpose of allowing the flanges of the wheels of' a locomotive, or rear ear in a train, to move this rail D inward, should it be found in the position indicated in red lines, fig. 1. Y

The curved-rail section Cl has a horizontal bar, al, secured to it, which bar projects laterally1 throughan oblong slot made through the main-track rail A, and has a r'od, 1, pivoted to it. The opposite end'of this rod is pivoted to the inner ends ot` two leversu e, which are pivoted to fixed stop-blocks upon the cross-ties El. To these lines, c c, outside of their fulcra, transverse guide-rods d (l are pivoted, which are secured to the guard-rail D, and pass freely through holes made transversely through the outer rnil C, as shown in iig. 1.. To the extremity of' one ofthe levers@ a rod, I, is pivoted, which -is also pivoted to a projection, a, upon the inner side of the switch-rail C2.

The rod J may be used in conjunction with a switch-lever of thc usual well-known form, if it is desired to move the switch by hand, or employ a signal in connection with it.

The position ofthe switch, indicated in black lines, iig. l, is that which is effected by a train passing either from the siding upon the main track, or from the main track upon the siding. This position of the parts would be effected by wheels acting upon either one ot` the curved ends of the guard-rail D, by moving which the sections Gl CZ would also be moved.' Should the parts be in said position, the wheels of a train approaching the crossing inv either direction upon the main track A, would act upon one or the other bent 'extremities of the section Cl, and adjust this section out of the way, and changing all the movable parts, as indicated in red lines of iig. 1. Thus it will be seen that I have an automatic switch which is positive in 'its operation, and which will enable me to dispense with a frog, and ohviate all the objections attending the use of a frog as hitherto constructed. I

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Employing, in combination with a continuous rail-track, A, and a siding, C, a laterally-vibrating inclined and curved guard-rail, C1, and an inclined switch-section, C2, constructed and arranged to operate substantially as described.

2. The guard-rail D, with curved extremities, connected byjointed levers and rods to the rail-sections C C2, substantially as described.

W. J. STOWELL. Witnesses:

Tues. H. MULnn, W. THOMSON. 

